46 wins, 7th seed, first round fodder, might as well get used to it

[Ice009]

It's too late for the Spurs to get a good pick by tanking. This team could play very poor basketball and still finish the season at worst with 40-41 wins. Even if they try to tank they are going to win 5-6 games simply by accident which will cause them to finish the season around 40-41 wins. If the Spurs miss the playoffs they would have the best record out of all the lottery teams which means they would be selecting the 14 pick. It's not guaranteed they would get a great prospect at that position granted they got Kawhi at number 15 several years ago. If you wanted this season to be like '96-'97 LMA would have had to also sit out the whole entire year. LMA is showing that he's good enough by himself to win 40 some games.

True about difference between '96/'97, but I still think a pick at number 14 would be much better than what they've currently been getting. Donovan Mitc was just drafted at number 13, Kawhi at number 15, so you can still get good players that late in the lottery. The potential for a good player is much higher there than it is at number 27-29 where the Spurs normally pick.

And I'm only advocating missing the playoffs for one year if it's an injury riddled one like this one seems to be so far. I certainly don't want a full rebuild. I still want to keep Kawhi. I just want to try and get a young talent which the Spurs can't get from free agency. They need a higher pick to be able to do that.

[DPG21920]

What you're failing to understand is that this year would have been more like '96/'97. I don't know how old you are or if you were even around back then, but we all knew the next year that the Spurs would be good again.

Not making the playoffs this year doesn't mean were going to miss them 2-10 years in a row. As long as Kawhi is still on the team and comes back healthy next year, we'll be right back to being an outside le contender again, but with the added bonus of having a much better draft pick to add to that.

The other example I always think back to, that really pissed me off a few years after it happened, is when the Lakers missed the playoffs in one of Kobe's prime seasons and got Andrew Bynum out of it (who ended up being a key piece that helped them win two more Championships).

Who gives a about the streak. TD isn't here anymore. All those records and streaks were his. If TD was still here, I'd want the streak to continue because I want people to see how great he was and all the hard work he put in, but now that he's gone, I don't care about the streak much at all. I look at it like the Lakers with a prime Kobe after Shaq left. The Spurs need more talent if they're going to be a serious le contender again, and the best way to get that is getting a higher pick than they would normally, possibly even a lottery pick as that would go a long way towards helping them get back to true le contention.

I’m not failing to understand anything. I took this thread to mean sort of into perpetuity and that I would be happy if moving forward basically forever if SA was “just” a playoff team.

[Ice009]

I’m not failing to understand anything. I took this thread to mean sort of into perpetuity and that I would be happy if moving forward basically forever if SA was “just” a playoff team.

OK, so you don't want to miss one playoff year even if it means a high pick? Is that pretty much your stance?

[tbdog]

Higher pick. Not a high pick. Doesn't not guarantee success. It was two drafts ago that I think not one rookie started. You tank and create a losing culture, is big risk for a non guarantee rookie.

[DPG21920]

OK, so you don't want to miss one playoff year even if it means a high pick? Is that pretty much your stance?

My stance on one year (this year, which is not the point of the thread from my understanding) is that SA is too far into being a lock for the playoffs to try and “tank” now. Besides anything else, the revenue generated from being a playoff team is pretty big.

I would rather be in the playoffs this year and have that mean the pick is a few picks worse than miss now when SA is the third seed for basically the entire season.

To this thread, and the main point, if the mindset is “well get ready after Tim/Manu/Tp to “just” be a playoff team consistently I will sign on the dotted line right now.

[SAGirl]

they are very unlikely to win 50 this year.
Aldridge is sitting out the next couple of games with a bum knee that he needs to get treatment for and after the ASB even if they get everyone they expect back, their schedule is brutal and would have to be reintegrating guys into the rotation.

[Rummpd]

Maybe 46 was too optimistic? This team is too beat up, too mentally soft, too badly constructed, and too poorly coached (by a HOF legend) to be anything more than a team on the downslope of a poor year. Unless KL man's up and emerges somehow as a superstar should - turn out the lights.

[objective]

My stance on one year (this year, which is not the point of the thread from my understanding) is that SA is too far into being a lock for the playoffs to try and “tank” now. Besides anything else, the revenue generated from being a playoff team is pretty big.

I would rather be in the playoffs this year and have that mean the pick is a few picks worse than miss now when SA is the third seed for basically the entire season.

To this thread, and the main point, if the mindset is “well get ready after Tim/Manu/Tp to “just” be a playoff team consistently I will sign on the dotted line right now.

, even being the 8th seed in the west would mean a pick around what, 15-19? I'll take that.

Give me an upfront no bull do or die matchup with Golden State early and a pick in position to take a contributor like Jarrett Allen or Anunoby etc. I'd rather that than s slog to get the 4 or 5 seed and pick 23 or 24 just to put off the inevitable.

[DPG21920]

Maybe 46 was too optimistic? This team is too beat up, too mentally soft, too badly constructed, and too poorly coached (by a HOF legend) to be anything more than a team on the downslope of a poor year. Unless KL man's up and emerges somehow as a superstar should - turn out the lights.

Dude -what? They melted down in the last few minutes, but they have been fighting hard outside of a few moments where they came out flat in the first half.

They aren’t soft. They aren’t poorly coached - it’s amazing they are in this position with a team that you claim is poorly constructed.

You can’t be a poorly constructed, mentally soft team that is also beat up and be poorly coached with this record. I’m sorry. It’s not possible.

[baseline bum]

Kawhi can't even wipe his own ass yet.

[baseline bum]

Do these 4'8 fluffers know we're 4 losses away from the 9th seeded Clippers? man I can't wait to bump some posts a month from now

9-seed wouldn't be too bad tbh if Kawhi's season is done (and it sure looks that way).

[baseline bum]

Sup OP. How's the wife?

She was good

[baseline bum]

Golden State wins but have cultivated a questionable culture
Winning isn’t everything.

https://www.poundingtherock.com/2018...-antonio-spurs

Good god ...

Whining about class and then cheap shots. This mother er too young to remember Bruce Bowen and Robert Horry?

[vander]

, even being the 8th seed in the west would mean a pick around what, 15-19? I'll take that.

Give me an upfront no bull do or die matchup with Golden State early and a pick in position to take a contributor like Jarrett Allen or Anunoby etc. I'd rather that than s slog to get the 4 or 5 seed and pick 23 or 24 just to put off the inevitable.

I really want the 50 win streak to continue, but I also like the idea of a first round match-up against GS. If nothing else, Spurs will make it tougher on that disgrace to humanity

[baseline bum]

I really want the 50 win streak to continue, but I also like the idea of a first round match-up against GS. If nothing else, Spurs will make it tougher on that disgrace to humanity

They didn't make it very tough last year. With Duncan retired and Kawhi out for the season I wouldn't mind seeing the team miss the playoffs to land a better pick, though that's a of a long shot even as terrible as they have looked.

[vander]

They didn't make it very tough last year. With Duncan retired and Kawhi out for the season I wouldn't mind seeing the team miss the playoffs to land a better pick, though that's a of a long shot even as terrible as they have looked.

well I'm assuming Kawhi comes back and is about 90%. he should at least be able to make 3 pointers, something no one else on the roster can do

[baseline bum]

well I'm assuming Kawhi comes back and is about 90%. he should at least be able to make 3 pointers, something no one else on the roster can do

I don't know man, 90% seems really optimistic with only 23 games left after the AS break and no clue how close Kawhi is to return. If he isn't back and looking good by March the team probably needs to pull the plug on the season.

[Hoops Czar]

I mean, did the FO even bother to scout Laughverne and BP3 before signing them to replace Dedmon and Simmons? How laughable of a FO can you be to sign players on a whim without knowing if they can play? That goes double for Laughverne who had built up an NBA resume and an unimpresssive one at that.

[TheGreatYacht]

46 wins?

How many wins do we have right now? Because we ain't winning another game again at this point

[Amuseddaysleeper]

They didn't make it very tough last year. With Duncan retired and Kawhi out for the season I wouldn't mind seeing the team miss the playoffs to land a better pick, though that's a of a long shot even as terrible as they have looked.

Only 3 games out of a playoff spot, there is still time.

[acoelho1]

Still 3rd in the West

[davi78239]

This

Yea, and those bastsrds will draft and stash with the higher pick. Wouldn't surprise me.

[cjw]

46 wins?

How many wins do we have right now? Because we ain't winning another game again at this point

Look at the bottom 8 teams and how closely stacked they are at 18-20 wins. The next three teams have 23 wins. That takes care of 11 of the 14 non-playoff teams who have zero incentive to win ... gap being 7 games to the playoffs which is virtually insurmountable for those teams.

Spurs will win games against all of those teams racing to the bottom. Issue is only 5 of their final 23 are against those teams, with the remaining 18 against playoff teams or playoff compe ors.

If Kawhi isn’t back soon and either the Clippers or Pelicans figure it out, I can see them dropping out of the playoffs given there’s a 3 loss cushion. Utah’s already figuring it out.

Three games against a Cousins-less Pelicans team will be crucial.

[Rummpd]

I was seemingly too optimistic

[NASpurs]

are we even going to make the playoffs